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Ambriz shut down with elbow soreness

Ambriz shut down with elbow soreness

By Anthony Castrovince
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MLB.com |

MINNEAPOLIS -- Rule 5 pickup Hector Ambriz remained on the Indians' roster long enough to become their property, but he's not going to finish the season.

Ambriz has been shut down with right elbow soreness and has returned to his Anaheim, Calif., home to get an opinion on the injury from Dr. Lewis Yocum. Ambriz is a candidate for surgery, should Yocum discover extensive damage to the elbow.

Elbow soreness prevented Ambriz from breaking camp with the Indians, but he did not have to be returned to the D-backs -- the team that drafted him in 2006 and exposed him to the Rule 5 Draft -- because he was placed on the disabled list. He joined the Tribe in late April and has generally been hit hard all season.

The 26-year-old Ambriz was used sparingly over the course of the season. He went 0-2 with a 5.59 ERA in 48 1/3 innings over 34 appearances, allowing 10 homers, 68 hits and 17 walks while striking out 37.

Ambriz hadn't pitched since Sept. 8 in Anaheim.

"He said he never felt great the whole season," manager Manny Acta said. "Those were his words. We really don't know the extent of how much it bothered him."

Having remained with the Tribe all year, Ambriz will enter 2011 with three Minor League option years that the Indians are free to exercise.

"We did our best to keep him on the roster," Acta said. "He did his part, too."

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, CastroTurf. Follow @castrovince on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.